FF: Chili & Cornbread

                             
We only have a handful of recipes that score high-fives all around the table and this is one of them. Seventeen years ago, I worked with a Hispanic woman who taught this know-nothing-newlywed how to wow my husband in the kitchen. I've never found a chili that rivaled hers - now ours.

FF: Crockpot Chili & Cornbread

Chili:

2 cans of Rotel (We like original, but you can go spicy!)

1 can of black beans 

1 can of red beans

1 diced onion
1 diced green pepper
1 diced red pepper
1 lb cooked ground beef

Dump everything in your crock and cook it on low for 8-10 hours. I don't even drain the bean cans. Super easy.

30 minutes before serving, add:
1/2 bag of frozen corn
1 chili packet
Sprinkle in chili powder to your spice preference
Sprinkle pepper on top

Top with Chili Cheese Fritos, cheese, and sour cream!

Cornbread:
1 box of Jiffy cornbread per instructions + 1 8oz can of creamed corn (so good you'll never eat it another way, again!) We like to make ours in a bread pan, but muffin pans work, too.

This is seriously a fan favorite!

FF: Super Soups & Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread

Before the cold leaves us for good, I have to get-in all of our new favorite soup recipes of the season! Each one is Pinchback-Family approved (Ben included). And you must try - I mean MUST TRY- the Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread!

Soup #1 (Great for freezing!)

Ham and Bean Soup from Jamie Cooks it Up!

And you don't have to wait for a holiday to buy ham for your ham bone - I like to rotate ham in every few months! In fact, buying a spiral ham during the off-season is quite inexpensive.

This recipe fed our family twice and was just as yummy from the freezer, months later!

Soup #2  (Ty's favorite)

Pasta Fagoli  from Mrs. Hines' Class

This is a HUGE recipe. It is supposed to be an Olive Garden copycat....but I think it's way better! We cut it by half and still get three meals out of it. If you want to freeze it, you can, but need to cook your pasta separately each time you prepare it.

Soup #3 (Ben's favorite)

Crock-Pot Chicken & Dumplings from Crock Pot Ladies

This is SO easy. 10 minute prep. 6 hours to cook. Perfect for a chilly weekend!

Now, for the Ahhhmazing skillet bread. My boys weren't just lick'n fingers. I had a chorus of compliments: mom-you're-the-best-mom-ever; mom-open-your-own-restaurant; mom-I-want-this-every-night-of-my-life... It's that good. And so, so easy.

Don't freak if you don't have a pretty skillet. I didn't either. I just used one of my stones. Any sort of casserole dish would do.

Garlic Parmesan Skillet Bread from Plain Chicken

Enjoy!!

FF: AHHHMazing Chicken Pot Pie

Thank you for all of the kind words and prayers for today. I will be heading out at lunch time to visit Sweet Mama. My girlfriend is making the trip with me and sent me a text, yesterday, that started with "while you're in prison..." I told her I didn't like the sound of that!

The good news is that no matter what difficulties the day holds, I get to come home to my family AND this feel-good dinner!

Although, this recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman, I give the most credit to my sweet friend, Casey. I was near tears with a new baby when she pulled in the driveway with this beauty. Most of our go-to meals don't show themselves for 7-8 weeks, but this one is on a 2-3 week rotation. It's that good!

My second favorite thing about this pie is its versatility. This morning, I made three. One for a new mama (been there!), one to half bake and freeze, and one to half bake for dinner. I will give you the half-bake instructions if you want to add this to your freezer list.

FF: The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

3 celery stalks, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large yellow onion
4 TBSP of butter
2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs fresh thyme or a sprinkle of dried
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
1 store-bought box of pie dough (2 rolls)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 and set your pie crust on the counter to warm while you prepare the filling.

Melt the butter in a fry pan/dutch oven over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Saute the vegetables for a few minutes and then add the chicken.

Sprinkle the flour in, stir, and continue cooking for a few minutes. 

Add the chicken broth, chicken bouillon cube and frozen peas, stirring for a few minutes.

Pour in the cream and allow the mixture to cook over low heat, for about 5 minutes, so it can thicken. Season with thyme, salt and pepper. 

Line your pie dish with the first roll of crust and pour your filling into the pan. You want to make sure you have about a half inch of crust showing, so that you can add the top dough roll and get a good folded seal.

Place the second roll of crust on top and fold the edge under, pressing it together with the bottom layer. Doing this will, naturally, form pretty edges. Place a few slits in the top for steam to escape.

If you are baking the pie to eat, you'll bake it for about 35 minutes until the insides are bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Make sure to let your pie sit and thicken for a few minutes before breaking into it.

If you plan to freeze the pie or deliver it as a meal to your neighbor, you'll want to half bake it at 400 for about 15 minutes. Half-baked refrigerated pies take about 20 minutes to warm. Half-baked frozen pies take about an hour to bake.

All of our kids, including the two littles, go crazy for pot pie night!

FF: Crunchy Pork Chops

Even though we have a pretty diverse list of family favorites, I was feeling bored when I sat down, last Sunday to form my two week grocery list. I dusted off The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (the only cookbook I kept when we moved) and decided to make 14 new meals, that we hadn't tried. We're about five in and would you believe that EVERY new recipe was a huge score for the family!?! That makes me excited for the rest of next weeks' dinners!

Again, there was no thought to a picture...but you'll have to trust me on this. The boys told me this was the best "chicken" they had ever had!

FF: Crunchy Pork Chops
Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes

1 5oz box of Melba toast broken into rough pieces
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp sugar
6 TBSP mayonnaise
4 6oz boneless rib pork chops, 3/4 - 1 inch thick

Put your oven rack in the middle position and heat to 425 degrees. Place the Melba toast, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, dried thyme, and sugar in a large zipper-lock bag. Get your days worth of frustration out and pound the Melba toast until you have coarse crumbs the size of small pebbles.

Add 2 TBSP of mayo to the bag and work it into the crumb mixture. Transfer your mixture to a shallow dish.

Working with 1 chop at a time, coat with about 1 TBSP of mayo, using your fingers (it's totally gross), and then roll it into your crumb mix. Press the breadcrumbs into the pork chop to make sure they adhere. If you want gooey-bottomed pork chops, you can lay them right on a baking stone/sheet. If you want them to be crispier, put a wire-rack in your baking sheet, and put the chops on top. I didn't want to mess with the rack, so I just laid them on a baking stone.

Cook them until the outside is golden brown. 22-25 minutes. For best results let them sit for 5-10 minutes before cutting into them.

I made warm apples to go with the pork chops. I just threw 8 apples into my dutch oven with 1/2 cup of water and a sprinkle of cinnamon for about 20 minutes.

I received rave reviews from the critics and made a note to double the recipe next time!

FF: Meatcakes

Meal time is so SUPER crazy around, here, but we've managed to find our rhythm, again.

I hated meatloaf growing up, but this is one of the first meals I learned to make (the right way) when Ben and I were first married. It's packed full of flavor, freezes well, and compliments all your favorite feel-good side dishes. Now, we make meat "cakes" because - well - it just makes life easier for mom and dad! The boys pick up the entire (or three) meatcake and dip away.

They only takes about 15 minutes to throw together, but a solid 40-50 minutes to bake. Often times I will pre-make the night before, so I can pop them in when we get home from school.

Here is what you'll need:

FF: Meatcakes

20 min prep/50 min bake at 350

Yields 1 bread pan loaf or 10 cupcakes (we double our recipe!)

Ingredients:

1 beaten egg
1/4 cup fine bread crumbs (I keep Italian style on hand)
1/4 cup milk, water, or apple juice (whatever you have)
1/4 cup onion finely chopped
1/4 cup celery finely chopped
1/4 cup green pepper finely chopped
1/4 cup carrot finely chopped
2 Tbsp of fresh parsley or a good shake of dry
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried bail
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb of ground beef

For the sauce:

2/3 ketchup + 1/3 mustard + 1/3 bbq sauce + a sprinkle of brown sugar (sometimes I use chili sauce or spicy brown mustard if I have it. Just mix it all in a bowl until it tastes tangy).

In a mixing bowl combine all the ingredients well (I use my food processor to shred the veggies). 

These two are always willing to lend a hand!

You can press your mixture into a bread pan or portion it off into cupcake pans/stones like we do!

Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Top them with sauce as soon as you pull them out of the oven and it will melt in and get nice and gooey while you start plating dinner (this takes time in our house).
I leave the boys' sauce free because they all have personal dipping preferences!

And...I don't have a finished product picture because I had two crabby babies and many finger-lick'n six year olds in my meatcakes by this time. You'll have to visit other sites for pretty food pictures!

Edie curled her nose and pushed her plate away, Baby Brother downed a full meatcake, himself, and the boys made sure there were no leftovers.

I hope your pans are as empty as mine with this one!

FF: Buttermilk Banana Muffins

So...this isn't really a meal per se, but Little Miss and I did have some fun in the kitchen, this week! Our schedule has been so busy with school starting and preparing for a baby (transition starts next week), that my cooking hasn't been noteworthy.

I reduced my hours at work and have been soaking in the extra time with Little Miss. She has become such a little person - sassy as they come. This week, we got rid of some browning bananas and made a few dozen banana muffins. Thirty-six muffins only make it so far, with a house full of boys, but it was a fun addition to our morning breakfast routine, this week.

Missy, was so cute putting all the paper cups in the muffin pans I just wanted to squeeze her!

And then when I went to put the first batch in the oven, I came back to this:

This is my favorite banana bread recipe. I swap out white flour for whole wheat and sprinkle in some flax. I also make my own buttermilk (who keeps that on hand???) by mixing a cup of milk with a tablespoon of lemon juice. Just let it sit for like 10 minutes.

These were a huge hit with the family. After Missy bit into her first (cooked) one, she said, "Yummy, Mama!"

Give 'em a try!



Buttermilk Banana Bread/Muffins

FF: Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad, Chicken Crispers, & Frosted Lemonade

We've been having such a great summer and eating our fill of fruit salad and popsicles...but from time to time we still eat a civilized meal!

These three items have become new staples, this summer; I hope you enjoy them, too!

Chicken Caesar Pasta Salad
This, wonderfully, light salad came from Spicy Southern Kitchen. I admit. I've made it five times, this month.

Chicken Crispers

These are not-so-light, but got rave reviews from Ben and ALL the kids!! (Also came from Spicy Southern Kitchen).

And these...

When Ty and I were in Colorado we went to Chic-fil-A with Rebekah, which we don't have in these parts, and on whim I ordered a frosted lemonade. It was so divine, I (literally) could not stop thinking about it. This copy-cat recipe nailed it and I indulge at least a few times a week....

Frosted Lemonade

FF: Burrito Bowls

I don't know about you, but I could eat at Chipotle every single day of the week. I have tried a few different copy-cat recipes, but they never taste as good. THIS one, however, is amazing and earned me 5 stars from all three boys! Ben's vote doesn't count, he was congested....and let's be honest...he's a harsh critic.

I found this recipe on Simply Scratch.

Chipotle Chicken Fajita Rice Bowl

 

AH-Mazing in all of its lime-y, cilantro goodness! I was drooling over the marinade alone. It smells divine.

Everyone got to make their own bowl...or three, which made for some very happy campers. I used some of my leftover frozen chipotle peppers from this dinner.

Next time I would serve it up with tortilla chips (I completely forgot). We kept it simple and had bowls and blueberries. There were no complaints.

FF: Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring

I don't know about your house, but we LOVE breakfast for dinner!

This Crescent Bacon Breakfast Ring from Jo Cooks is a yummy omelette spin off that got gobbled up by everyone except Ty. He likes his eggs straight up.

 

And it only takes 35 minutes from prep to table - my kind of meal! I did it up right and served it with OJ, a tater-tot type hash (we like this kind), a fresh fruit medley, and our favorite lumpy links of sausage (we always have a stash of these in our freezer - we buy them from Costco).

It's almost as easy as ordering pizza.

 

FF: Chipotle Honey BBQ Chicken & Roasted Smashed Potatoes

This week's recipe does not fit my "one hour" rule, but it's so finger-looking good, you will forgive me! I had sick babies, yesterday, so it was the perfect day to carve some time out for sauce making.

I made the World's Best Lasagna sauce and built a lasagna for tonight at the same time I made the Chipotle Honey Barbecue sauce for last night's dinner. They both need to simmer for 60-90 minutes, but the prep time is minimal.

My boys will eat anything in the form of a drumstick, so this was family-friendly, even though they tend to balk at anything charred. I only used 1 chipotle pepper (I did wash the seeds out), so the  sauce was mild. Since I was in prep mode and I hate waste, I also cut open and washed the seeds out of the remaining chipotle peppers and pureed them with the jarred sauce and measured 1 tsp servings into an ice cube tray to freeze for future meals. I have chipotle chicken faijitas planned next week.

I made a dozen drumsticks and probably have enough sauce for two more meals! All that to say, the prep is WORTH it!

I think Team Pinchback would have settled for a plate full of chicken, but I paired it with corn on the cob, applesauce, and these delicious Crispy Smashed Roasted Potatoes from Mom on Timeout.

It took a little extra time, but we also have a lasagna ready to pop into the oven tonight and enough homemade grilling sauce for a relaxing weekend!

FF: Crock Pot Flank Steak

This is a great work day, crock pot meal! I found this Flank Steak recipe from The Mrs with the Dishes.

 

It's very easy. Here are the ingredients:

• 2 pound flank steak
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• freshly ground black pepper

I marinaded my steak overnight and cooked it on low for 8 hours. When it was done, I chopped it, diagonally, put it in the broiler for 5 minutes to crisp up the edges, and salted it before serving. It was so yummy, we didn't even use the tortillas I had bought.

The boys didn't love it, but ate it up when I provided them ketchup for dipping.

I paired it with salad, biscuits, and applesauce. We eat a lot of applesauce - which is why we are building our own orchard in the backyard!

FF: Quinoa Surprise

This week's recipe is a Ben invention and family favorite - Quinoa Surprise! The "surprise" is that it never looks 100% the same. A couple of weeks ago, we were out of quinoa and the boys thought it was hysterical that we were just eating "Surprise!" for dinner.

This one is super easy. 30 minutes tops.

First, grab the cutest sous-chefs you can find. We're in jammies because our evenings are on a tight itinerary with a seven o'clock bedtime. Baths and jammies come before dinner in these parts!

The ingredients are simple. Mix together: 

1 lb cooked beef
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 drained can of black beans
1/2 bag of frozen corn
Taco Seasoning (we make our own with this recipe)

If I am feeling really ambitious, I'll cut up onion and peppers and throw them in, too.

Now. The most important part of Quinoa Surprise is the topping.

We add hand-shredded sharp cheddar, cilantro, and chipotle ranch (just mix a few good swigs of chipotle sauce with your favorite ranch dressing). Some of us eat our taco pile with corn chips, while others roll it up in a burrito.

It doesn't look like much...but man do we LOVE it! Each kid, including sister, eats 2-3 helpings. There are never any leftovers!

Stroke Ben's ego if you try it and love it as much as we do.

We like to serve it with a side of cornbread and refried beans.

FF: Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Here it is! The first recipe that earned all stars from all four boys!

It's a slight cheat because this is actually a family favorite...but after Ben's submarine rating, again, last week, I asked him what I had to do to earn a full 10. He told me I had to make this.

So, here it is!

You'll look like you spent hours in the kitchen, but you and I will both know the truth.

Jalepeno Popper Chicken

We've been making this Cassie Craves recipe for a few years, now. Here are my tips. Make the bacon beforehand to speed up the process. I, usually, always have bacon cut up and on hand because we have salad with dinner a lot and who doesn't want bacon on their salad!?!

I mix Italian seasoned bread crumbs and Panko together for the crust and just pan fry the chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side and then pop the chicken in a 350 oven for about 20 minutes.

As long as you dump the seeds, the jalapeno is not too spicy. All the kids ate it inside the chicken, even the baby, without complaint.

This week, we paired our chicken with orange slices, salad, and biscuits.

You will NOT be disappointed!

FF: Costco Chicken Bake

Apparently, this was a must-have option at Costco in the recent past, but was pulled from the deli menu for whatever reason. We did get a Costco membership, this year, once we realized how many beef sticks the boys were consuming, but stopping in the deli is not an option with one full cart of children and two of groceries.

All that to say, I chose this recipe from the picture...not previous experience.

 

Couldn't you just eat the picture? This Costco Chicken Bake recipe comes from Redefined Mom.

I paired it with a simple salad and fresh blackberries.

It got so-so reviews from the boys, but Ben and I loved it. These two liked the pre-dinner grapes and peppers better than what was served up, but they still get points for cuteness.

The crisp loaf with baked in Parmesan is well worth the try! Tell us what you think.